Coming Together
by reylolove44
Summary: I absolutely loved this sequence from 'Rise of Skywalker' and was inspired to write out a piece based on it with a few twists involved.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The lightning flashed in the skies above Exogol threateningly as Rey stood in front of Emperor Palpatine, her grandfather. She had planned to bring peace to the galaxy on her own by destroying her grandfather once and for all. But as she had been listening to his master plan, she realized her mistake in coming. The Emperor had given her an ultimatum:she had to become Empress Palpatine to save her friends in the Resistance. As soon as she would strike him down, Rey would embody the spirit of her grandfather and therefore continue the Sith religion.  
No one was coming to help her. No one was there to guide her towards the right choice. It was all up to Rey to decide the fate of the entire galaxy. There was no way she was going to drag Ben Solo into this, which was why she left him on the wreckage of the Death Star II. This was her fight and her fight alone. No other lives would be lost because of her. She looked up towards the sky and saw that her friends were in great peril and couldn't let them die. Slowly she turned towards the Emperor and stared at him, silently nodding her head confirming her decision to save her friends. Rey would cease to be who she was at this moment and would become the Sith Empress with the soul of her grandfather. But she needed to protect her friends. Emperor Palpatine grinned a maliciously evil smile as his laugh filled the entire Sith throne room, chilling Rey to the bone. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Rey's X-Wing fighter stood parked just outside of the entrance to the Temple of the Sith. It had been sitting alone for a while before a young man ran and stood to face it. Ben Solo had arrived on Exogol with only a blaster and the Force to protect him. He wore his black sweater that now had a hole in it from where Rey had stabbed him, killing Kylo Ren and bringing back Ben Solo. His heart leapt when he saw the X-Wing and knew Rey was here. He had come back for her and was going to stand with her against the Emperor, no matter the cost.  
Whipping his head from the X-Wing to the Sith Temple, he sprinted towards the entrance holding nothing back. His black hair blew wildly about as his heart thumped in his chest. Seeing that the entrance elevator beam was open, he leapt into the chasm below and landed with a hard thud onto a pillar. He muttered in the slight pain he felt as the wind was knocked out of him but quickly recovered as he continued making his way to Rey.  
As he ran, the Emperor's guards tried to stop him and were unsuccessful in their attempts. Ben had his blaster drawn and made very precise shots towards each of the guards, even one that he shot without looking behind him. He slid through a crack in the wall with his blaster raised before continuing his sprint towards the throne room. As he was running, he stopped as he saw the Knights of Ren step out of the shadows. Their weapons were raised and they made their way towards Ben, completely surrounding him. Once they had encircled him, Ben used the Force to push away one of the Knights as he ducked underneath a blade coming at him. As he stood back up, one of the Knights caught him and hit him across his face, knocking Ben down to the floor and causing him to drop his blaster. Ben stood back up and stared down the Knights that surrounded him and weighed his options. He had to get to Rey quickly. Just as he was going to use the Force to pull his blaster back to him, he felt the Light and saw what he had come here for. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rey raised her lightsaber as the Emperor shouted at her to strike him down. As she was about to seal her fate, she paused. He was here. Ben was here. She stared ahead and saw him materialize in front of her, hope brimming in her eyes. Ben saw her and smiled, which made Rey's heart flutter. She had longed to see him smile and she knew that smile was just for her. Without giving too much away to her grandfather, Rey smiled back and saw Ben nod his head, signaling to her that he was with her to stand with her and fight for her. Rey felt a surge of love and confidence build inside her from Ben's declaration towards her and was fueled for what was to come next.  
"DO IT! MAKE THE SACRIFICE!" the Emperor screamed. Rey raised her lightsaber so it was placed completely behind her back. The Emperor closed his eyes and awaited his destiny. He opened his eyes when he was wondering what was taking his granddaughter so long. As he looked at her, Rey revealed her hand that had been holding her lightsaber. It was gone. Rey smiled as she watched Ben brandish the lightsaber she had passed to him and marveled at his speed and grace as he began taking out the Knights of Ren. She ignited the other lightsaber she brought with her and began taking out the Emperor's guards around her one by one. As she threw one of the last guards out of her reach, she saw another guard show up to attack her but was quickly lifted from his spot and thrown down onto the floor. Ben had taken out the last guard and stared at Rey from across the throne room. He kept his eyes locked on hers, completely ignoring the Emperor, as he made his way over to stand in front of Rey. They both grinned at each other and they could feel their mutual love and support for one another through their bond. Together they turned, lightsabers drawn side by side, to face the Emperor. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ben and Rey stood side by side as they faced the Emperor, the blue of their lightsabers brilliantly shining on their faces. The Emperor stared angrily towards them both and they could feel his rage boil over as he began shouting at them, lightning crashing all over the throne room.  
"Your coming together will be your undoing!" the Emperor shouted with venom and hatred dripping out of his voice. His words did not make Rey and Ben waiver as he had hoped.  
"Your rule is at an end, Palpatine. The Sith are no more," replied Ben with a confidence that Rey had never seen in him before. She smiled to herself at this man beside her who crossed an entire galaxy to be with her. She would have done the same for him had she not been afraid to lose him. But she thanked the Force that Ben Solo was here with her.  
Emperor Palpatine shot Force lightning towards Ben and Rey with all the power he could muster. Looking at each other, Rey and Ben brought their lightsabers together as one and were able to block the lightning blast for now. They pushed against Palpatine and used all of their combined strength through their bond to keep pushing back against him. Finally they were able to push back enough that the lightning made its way back towards the Emperor and destroyed him. The throne room was bathed in a pool of white light as the throne of the Sith was destroyed along with Palpatine. At last he was no more.  
Exhausted from the power they used, Ben and Rey fell to the floor unconscious. Rey's hand fell on top of Ben's as they landed on the ground. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ben was the first to come to. He groaned as he shifted to one side and stopped as his eyes fell on Rey's motionless body. Pushing himself up, he crawled over to her with his hand grasping hers from where it lay on top of his. He pulled her close and laid her on his lap with one arm cradling her neck and the other wrapped around her body. Her eyes were closed and he feared the worst.  
"Rey...Rey, wake up...Rey, come back to me...please…" he begged, tears falling down his cheeks. He hadn't come all this way to lose the woman he loved. Pulling her into a hug, he nuzzled his face into her neck and cried softly into her shoulder, whispering his desires to have her come back to him.  
He suddenly felt a hand on his back and he pulled back slightly to look at Rey's face. Her eyes were open and she moved herself up a little so she could look deeper into his face. She traced her free hand along his face and wiped the tears that had been falling from his eyes. "Ben," she whispered as her lips curled into a smile and she pushed her lips on his. Ben wrapped her in his arms and pulled her close, moving his lips against hers. Rey wrapped her arms around his neck and continued her kisses against his full mouth. When they broke away to catch their breath, they smiled at each other and each passed a little giggle between them. Everything had been building up to this moment and the fact that they were able to share a kiss with one another was overwhelmingly incredible to experience. Rey stood up and offered her hand to Ben, which he gladly took in his own as she pulled him up from the floor. They interlaced their fingers and placed their foreheads together, feeling the emotions flying between them through the bond. Rey looked into Ben's eyes with a look that made Ben's heart flutter "You came for me. You came to stand with me," Rey spoke as her eyes brimmed with tears of joy. Ben looked back at her and wiped away her tears with his thumb.  
"Of course I came for you. I love you Rey," he replied as he kissed her forehead and pulled her into his warm embrace. Rey wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him as she buried her face in his chest.  
"I love you, Ben. I always have," she whispered. They pulled back to look at one another and kissed once again. The galaxy was safe and the Emperor was no more. Together, Ben and Rey had brought peace to the galaxy at last. Ben kissed Rey's cheek and led her out of the throne room. They walked hand in hand out of the temple of the Sith to go home where they belonged, together. 


End file.
